Blizzard, Gillette
- When
- December 16, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Gillette forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.248, -105.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Wyoming, December 16, 1996
A blizzard moved into northeast Wyoming during the early morning and ended around midnight. Blowing and drifting snow reduced visibilities to zero, which closed Interstate-90 and other highways.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.
A blizzard moved into northeast Wyoming during the early morning and ended around midnight. Blowing and drifting snow reduced visibilities to zero, which closed Interstate-90 and other highways. Numerous accidents occurred along the roads, but none had serious injuries. Wind chill temperatures fell to around 50 below zero.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, South Campbell
- When
- December 16, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- South Campbell forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.248, -105.548 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Moorcroft
- When
- December 16, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Moorcroft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.589, -104.570 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wyoming Black Hills
- When
- December 16, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Wyoming Black Hills forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 44.215, -104.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Weston
- When
- December 16, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
- Where
- Weston forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 43.841, -104.568 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Dense Fog in California, December 16, 1996
- High Wind in Utah, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 16 to 18, 1996
- Winter Storm in Indiana, December 16, 1996
- Cold in Nebraska, December 16 to 19, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in Montana, December 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Kentucky, December 16 to 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Illinois, December 16, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, December 16 to 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Wyoming in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, December 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5579515, 5579516, 5579517, 5579518, 5579519.